Method of making artficial stoneware.



ONEWARE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 19

R. F. OSBORN J. ROAUH METHOD o1" MAKING ARTIFICIAL sT www n,... w .www w RICHARD r.,

.narran sri-iras PATENT carica.

OSBORN ANI) JOHN ROACH, 0F AINSWORTH, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD. TO ALBERT A. RADTKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

` METHOD QFMAKING ARTIFICIAL 'sroNnwARn Patented May 9,1911.

' Application alea uay 7, 1910. seriaino. 559,943.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that'we, RICHARD F.. AOYSBOVRN kandJonN RoAcH, citizens 'of the-UnitedV States, both residing at Ainsworth, county of Brown, State ofNebra'ska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Artificial Stoneware, of rwhich the following is a specification. e

InBlrown county, Nebraska, 'and in other. places, therejmay be found large deposits of a dry, gritty sand, having a chemical composition approximately as follows: silica 03,74%, oxids of iron 2.13%, oxid of alumi.

num 1.3%, calcium oXid 456%, sulfate of lime, trace, magnesiumA oXid 1.03 $6, combined moisture .72%, undetermined .52%.

The main object of the present invention is to produce from this sand, and fromsands of a similar composition, an 4artificial stone-4 ware, very porous 1n its structure, but strongand coherent. f I

The material produced as herein described is very refractory in character, and has low heat conductivity, and may be used for building purposes, :as in the form of brick, building blocks,v roofing material and the like, or it can be madev in the shape of drainage tile and lilter blocks, wherein its great porosity is ofV advantage in allowing the ready' passage of water.

In the'A process herein vdescribed and claimed, the. sand is made into coherent bodies without the useof moisture or the aid of pressure, and wit-hout the addition of any binding'agentor any fluxing medium.

An apparatus Ywherein the 'process 'may be effected is shown in theaccompanying drawings, -in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an electrical furnace of the resistance tube type.

In this furnace, the necessary heat treatment of the sand maybe carried out. Fig.' 2 is a longitudinal sectionof a mold in which the sand may be supported' during its passage through the furnace. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of 'the' mold show'. n in Fig. 2.

The furnace. shown in the drawing coinprises a carbon resistance tube 1, mounted in a brickwork 2, andcovered by a refractory packing 3 of magnesia or other heatl insulating material. The carbon tube is provided at its ends with water-cooled cop? per terminals 4 and 5, of ordinary type, to

which current of. suitable quan ity and voltage mav'be delivered through conductors 6 and 7. At the inlet end of the resistance tube is an -iron chamber 8, serving to exclude air from the tube, and aiiording a Vmeans for conveying the objects to be heated into the carbon tube. This chamber 8 may have a tubular inlet 9, through which an inert gas may be supplied to the carbon tube to lessen-the danger of chemical action therein.. At the other end of the carbon tube is an' iron chamber 10, into which the heated objects may be expelled after their heat treat-ment has-been. completed. Through this heated carbon tube may be passed a series of refractory boats or molds containing vsand to be subjected to the sintering action of the heat maintained by the tube. The exact shape of these molds-will depend omthe shape of the product to be produced,

but for producing rectangular bricks, the molds may be of the kind shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These molds are of carbon with a rounded bottom to lit the general contour of the heating tube, and with a rectangular recess 12, open at the top, and serving as a receptacle for the dry sand. Spacing blocks 13 -of lavite or other inert refractory material, may be used to' separate one carbon,vl

throughout the major portion of the material. If, however, it be the faces ofthe bricko a water-proof or glaze surface, the process maybe modified b running the furnace temperature somewhat higher, and allowing the exposed surface of the sandte heat" to sucha temperature that it will glaze over by' fusion. The protection afforded by the Oraphite mold prevents fusion of .the sand Ifelow -the sirface layer, thus insuring vfor, the fused ayer a strong porous backing of sintered naterial. 'The molds, with their contents ,desired that one of object should have are ultimately pushed through into 10, l'from i which they' 'i be removed.

4 The electrietube furnace, 'when' used asa heating means, offers the advantage that the 5 temperature can be vcloselyzregulated, and the .further advantage that 'the' heating of the sand and its mold goes on in an inert I enVrOmnent, therebyobviating the danger Artificial.stoneware produced as Vherein described is about like rebricl: in its power to resist eat, but is iiiueh more. poroiisthaii irebrick.- Becaiise of this porosity, it has a in'ii'chlowerlheat.conductivity. Also, its poreus structure gives tov it a certain toughness and power to. resist shock and localized pressure.4 Under a magnifying glass, this artifikc ial stoneware seems to consist 'of theoriginal sandparticles merely joined together at their points o f contact, leaving the original iiiterstices altogetheropen.. It is this highly "porous character of tliefinaterial which renders .it-serviceablefor use as filterv blocks, :indias drainage tile and the like. The self-A glazing-characteristic of the material reii.

' ders it available for use where moisture must be excluded. 'l

In divisional. application filed July 1,

T1919',I Serial. No.1 569,932, claims are made on the pro'ductherein disclosed.

'Whatwe claim as new,` and desii'eitoiseby Letters Patent of the United States about 93%silica, which consists in holding the sand particles in loose contact with one another aiidthen slowly passing the sand i through a heated zone andthere subjecting it'v'to a heat regulated in time and intensity I thel temperature of Aaidfizoiie The method ofinaltirgporoiis largely of silica,

f to s inter thesandparmciesito one vanother attheirpoints'ofY contact, L

v3. The method of formi'i'ig porous stonewaresolelyfromrysand composed largely of silica which con'sistsfin supporting' the sand in a 'loose condition in'a`V predetermined shape and then subjectig"it to` `a heat lated iii time aiid'iiiteiisity' to produce fusion vo'ipthe s and atQanfeXp-osed tliereofhand to sinte'r the'sand"-particlesv atm places-remote from that surface `in`to"a coherent biitporous body.,

iva re solelyfrom coarseffdry sand inf'acondition, consists i porting the .sandr 'antl" pass' ing` VSai "Salid' while 4thus suppQrted throi'iglie a li'eate g sa' its movement throi'igli'said',lieatedfgiie.

ware solely fromv lcoai" s consists inV looselysuppor predetermined shape and giossivelyi'mssiiig d, lil-ileV thus supported, through Ialiea'tinw"'l' inber i.

Vi nl? maintained.. at a temperature siifiicieiitfto body during its trailsit',therethrought 6. Thenietliod of. iriafkiiig,. porous ware solely from .coarse dry feoi'iipposed, y

which eoiisistsfin' supporting the sand in'suit'able maiiiiei" andfpassiiig it, ivlii le .thus 'siipported, ,through `a'fleiitirig chamber maintained at. a teiiipeiature {sittliporous body during its transit therethrough.

In witness whereof, ii'ehave l'ieiei'into set our signatures tiisllth day of'l\fay,'i\.- I). 1910. i l A l,

"175 sinter said sand, into acolierentbut"porous 

